The Lawn, Landscape, and Outdoor Living Business’s Guide to Creating Impactful Case Studies
—
The Content Team,
HALSTEAD.
Table of Contents Click Here to Show
People love to see the possibilities of renewal. With the number of TV shows dedicated to showing the process of renovating an old home, flipping a property, or otherwise giving the home or outdoor space a makeover, it’s no secret that stories of transformation pique curiosity amongst viewers. Lawn, landscape, and outdoor living business owners can harness the power of transformation by showing the process of taking an outdoor space from bland to grand with well-written case studies featuring professional photography and videography.
What Is a Case Study for a Lawn, Landscape, or Outdoor Living Business?
A case study tells the story of a real-life project from before, during, and after it has been completed, and the customer has used the new outdoor space. Not to be confused with a portfolio, case studies dive deep into the details behind the results—from the inspiration and the challenges to the solutions. They may describe the materials and brands of products used, the aesthetic choices, and everything that went into designing and building the outdoor space.
Green industry business case studies can be presented in varied ways, most commonly a digital method that’s displayed on a business website, including a combination of written copy, photos, videos, and graphics. However, case studies are sometimes strictly in video format or PDF format.
Either way, they are designed to show the value of your work and how your services can improve the lives of your potential customers. Leading firms include customer testimonials or quotes, which makes for impactful, relatable marketing material.
Why Are Case Studies Important for Green Industry Businesses?
Leading lawn, landscape, and outdoor living firms use case studies as a sales and marketing tool to help generate leads. Photos and videos allow prospects to see your high-quality craftsmanship and provide proof of your expertise. Customer stories are among the most influential marketing techniques because they provide social proof and help build trust. Showing prospects how your services and work have helped others achieve their goals is impactful.
While you may have a target audience, no two customers are alike. While one may dream of having a putting green in their backyard where they can perfect their game, another may envision a resort-style poolscape where they can play a game of pool volleyball. Yet another may prefer a comprehensive outdoor living space with an outdoor fireplace where they can gather with friends and family. Having case studies showing an assortment of projects helps ensure you’re creating relatable content for various potential customers and makes a bountiful arsenal of sales and marketing tools and materials.
Case studies are especially important in the high-end landscape industry because of the high ticket price. A higher level of trust is needed when investing in a $300K poolscape than is needed for purchasing a $2K laptop, for example. Case studies provide comprehensive evidence of your expertise and the high-quality work you do and will help appeal to an affluent audience as long as it is approached and executed effectively.
How to Begin Creating a Case Study as a Lawn, Landscape, or Outdoor Living Business
Getting started can be the hardest part of creating a case study, and that’s often because you don’t know where to begin. Following some basic guidelines will help you start.
Determine Your Objective & Pick a Project
Before creating your case study, determine what your overall objective is. Do you want to highlight the eco-friendly and sustainable landscapes that you design to reach a younger, eco-conscious audience? Perhaps you want to demonstrate how a prospect who is dreaming of getting away can enjoy a resort-style outdoor living experience in their own backyard any day of the week.
Consider what your ideal project is and create a case study that showcases your best one. A case study with an objective to show residential outdoor living spaces designed to help families spend more time outside connecting will have a much different look and feel than a case study about a commercial property where your company mows the lawn and maintains the plantings.
Whatever project you choose should reflect your overall business objective and showcase the type of projects you wish to attract. If you only want to attract comprehensive outdoor living projects that include an outdoor kitchen, entertainment area, fire features, and an inground pool, don’t feature a case study of a simple paver patio project because it could be misleading. Your objective may be partially driven by the customer’s willingness to participate or if you have professional visuals of a particular project with mature plantings.
Get Permission & a Signed Release Form From the Customer to Feature the Project
Before officially creating a case study, contact the customer for permission to feature the project. Be clear about why you’re creating the case study, how you plan to use it, where it may be featured, what information you will include, and the timeline. Produce a release form and get the customer’s signature.
Specify on the release form if you want permission to include photos, customer names, addresses, or any other identifying information. On commercial projects, if you plan to feature a company logo or other potentially trademarked information, make sure you have permission to do so. Residential case studies don’t usually require using a customer’s name or address, but be sure to get permission if you might. Find out if the customer is willing to act as a reference and if you have their permission to pass their contact information along if needed.
You can also discuss any compensation or benefits they will receive by participating in your case study. Consider what the customer may find appealing. For example, you could offer free services to mow their lawn, do edging and trimming, prune plantings, and power wash their paver surfaces so that the outdoor spaces and landscape look their best for the photo shoot. Another option is to offer discounted services for a period of time. Ensure that their testimonial is authentic and isn’t influenced by the compensation. If you aren’t offering compensation of any kind, be sure to mention that on the release form.
Explain What the Customer Can Expect During the Case Study Process
Once the release form is signed, outline the process so the customer knows what to expect. Provide a list of key dates for when the videography crew will visit their property, along with a list of any preparation that they need to do before the meeting (i.e., complete a questionnaire, mow their lawn, etc.). If you’ve made an agreement for compensation or providing a benefit, list the date they can expect to receive the compensation or benefit/services.
Create a Questionnaire to Prepare the Customer & Conduct the Interview
Creating a questionnaire before the interview benefits you and the customer. Prepping for your interview by creating the questions and allowing the customer time to review them and think about their answers will ensure you collect the best information during the actual interview. Some people need time to process what they want to say, so allow ample time for them to do that. Plus, the customer may feel more confident going into the interview when they know what to expect. Once the customer has completed the questionnaire, schedule a 30- to 60-minute interview to collect footage.
Open-ended questions on your questionnaire should prepare the customer for the interview. Here are some examples of topics you can discuss during the interview:
What were their goals for the project?
Why did they want a new space?
What was their experience before they had their new outdoor space?
What were the major pain points prior to having a new outdoor space?
How did they discover your company?
What factors contributed to them choosing your company vs. a competitor?
Did they have any concerns about the process prior to construction?
What was it like interacting with your team?
How do they spend time in their new outdoor space?
What is their favorite feature in their outdoor space?
Do they have any future goals for the outdoor space?
Have the customer explain in detail how they have benefited from your service. For example, if your company built an outdoor kitchen, the customer might talk about how they enjoy spending time outside as a family cooking, using their built-in gas grill or smoker, and eating alfresco meals together.
-
INTERVIEWING THE CUSTOMER
Interviewing your customer for the case study is the best way to get the best content. Many people feel uncomfortable on camera, so showing appreciation for their participation and doing what you can to help calm their nerves can go a long way. Beforehand, let them know that you just want them to be themselves. They don’t need to wear full makeup or dress to the nines—showing up is what is most important.
Some customers may not feel like they know what to say, but help them view this interaction as a conversation where they can talk freely, knowing that the content can be edited later. Encourage your customer to share their story and provide prompts as needed. Allow the customer plenty of time to respond to your questions and resist the urge to help them answer —this will help you get the most authentic responses.
Rather than simply sending the customer the questionnaire to complete and never speaking, the interview allows you to ask follow-up questions when they answer your questions. You can ask the customer to tell you more about a specific part of the project and ask how they felt during the process—before, during, and after.
Having a professional videographer capture this interview is the best practice, but if you’re not taking a video, at least record your conversation. This way, you won’t miss any important information or struggle to take notes fast enough and end up missing details.
Create the First Draft of Your Case Study
The next step is putting all the details you’ve collected into a comprehensive, engaging case study format that will allow prospects to imagine themselves in a gorgeous outdoor space of their own.
The Customer Review & Revisions
Share the first draft of your case study with the customer to get their feedback. They may think of more information they’d like to share, which you could incorporate into the case study as quotes or testimonials from the customer or simply add the details throughout the copy. You’ll take their feedback and make any necessary revisions.
Final Approval of Your Case Study
Share the revised version of your case study with the customer to obtain their final approval. You want to make sure the customer is happy and comfortable with the content used within the case study.
Distribute Your Case Study
Once you have the customer’s final approval, you can begin putting the case study to good use. You can share it via social media and encourage customers to do the same by sharing the link. Their sharing of the case study can be especially effective at attracting similar customers within your target audience.
The Visual Components of a Lawn, Landscape, or Outdoor Living Business Case Study
Don't make your prospects work too hard to envision the outdoor living spaces and landscapes you can create or maintain. Visual components are an excellent tool for making your content easily consumable.
Having case studies as a part of your marketing plan means you need to routinely collect photos and videos so you can create a case study later. Make it part of your practice to at least photograph the job site prior to construction, during construction, and after. These photos will be integral to creating an effective case study.
Using a combination of copy, video, photography, and graphics will create a robust case study that tells an engaging story to help you close sales. Investing in professionally produced videography and photography will ensure that your projects are shown in their best light, figuratively and literally, as the video and photo shoot is scheduled when lighting is optimal.
Staging the scene will make the outdoor space look more relatable. This may require setting up stylish patio furniture or asking the homeowners if they want to participate by using their outdoor space during the photo or video shoot. Featuring people in the photos and videos can help prospects connect with the outdoor space and imagine having a similar outdoor space of their own.
-
PHOTOGRAPHY
One of your best sales tools is your completed projects, and most lawn, landscape, and outdoor living businesses are sitting on unused marketing gold. Photos of these beautiful outdoor spaces make for effective marketing, especially the ones that have had time for plantings to mature to create a lush landscape.
Visit a project site a year or two after completion to get photos of the project as it was designed to look. Photos featuring bright, colorful blooms and full foliage will look much more attractive than an outdoor space with newly installed young plantings.
Photos that include people add a humanizing touch and help viewers imagine how they might use a similar outdoor space. You could even include your team members in photos of your in-process projects. Ensure the job site is clean and organized and reflects well on your company.
-
VIDEOGRAPHY
Professional videography can help tell the story of your project when it includes creative shots of the outdoor space and customer testimonials. Plus, viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text.
Videos provide the opportunity to showcase your passion and expertise and show your hardworking team in action. They can give insight into what the customer can expect while the project is under construction, as this can be a daunting thought to some homeowners. This is an opportunity to show your smoothly operating job site and professionalism.
The auditory element of videography also helps create an emotional connection with viewers as it appeals to the senses. Your prospects can see the movement of the water cascading into a koi pond while also hearing the sound of the moving water. Such sounds are natural de-stressors, which will leave your prospects yearning for a relaxing space of their own. Including music can help generate excitement about the outdoor space.
Voiceovers can also convey emotion and tell an enticing story. The excitement in your customer’s voice will be heard and felt as they describe how much they enjoy their new poolscape or outdoor fireplace. Be sure to have your business name stated several times throughout the video (naturally), which will help the prospect create a connection and remember it when it comes time to make a purchasing decision.
As a business owner, you can go on camera to discuss the project and encourage the supervisors, foremen, and crew members to do the same. This helps put a face to your brand and create a further connection. Each will have a unique perspective and provide the interesting details that make a case study compelling.
-
GRAPHICS
Infographics are a great method of displaying data in a visually pleasing and engaging format. In fact, visual content such as infographics can boost readership by up to 80%. An example of an infographic you could feature in a case study might include details such as the property size, whether it’s residential or commercial, the number of hours/days it took to complete, the square footage of the paver patio or other feature, or any other numerical data that may be of interest and provide insight.
A Note About Non-Digital Case Studies
While most case studies are digital, you may wish to have a case study printed on paper, displayed in PDF format, or included in an email with limited visual capabilities. While you can display photos and graphics in these formats, including video isn’t an option. With limited space to work with, the photos and graphic content that you select are especially important.
In any case, you can display a website address to a digital version of your case study so that the prospect who views your non-digital case study can easily find more information by visiting your website. Featuring a QR code that will take the reader to the online version of your case study that features videos and more photography is another excellent way to create a bridge between analog and digital capabilities. Including your contact information will give them various ways to learn more, whether they are digitally savvy and will visit your website or if they would prefer to call and speak with you.
Best Practices for Writing an Engaging Project Story for Your Case Study
A well-written case study will take your reader on a journey. Like any story, there is a beginning, middle, and end to the project process, and the case study is your opportunity to share all of the details in an engaging format.
Creating a Case Study Title
Your title should be succinct, including core information. Include the project's name, customer, or summary, the services you provided, and the result. Here is an example of a straightforward title we wrote for a HALSTEAD case study that covers all three bases.
“Top MI Landscape Contractor Experiences Growth Through SEO, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Professional Videography”
Some case studies include a subtitle or eyebrow text (copy above the title) to add further detail about the project. For the mentioned case study, we provide the business's name within the eyebrow text.
The Ideal Word Count & Formatting Basics of a Case Study
The bulk of the copy in your case study will tell the project's story. The word count or length of the copy isn’t as important as the quality—a case study can be powerful even if it’s short. Keep in mind that the human attention span tends to be short, and on average, users will read about 20% of the copy on a webpage. Telling a story while keeping it short and sweet is the best practice.
Research shows that the optimal line length for text within the body of a written piece is between 50-75 characters, so formatting a digital case study to include images or videos beside written content will make it easier to read. When the copy is too long, readers skim over it and potentially miss important information. When it’s too short, it can make reading too tedious.
A reader’s focus is best at the beginning of each line and gradually wears off as they read. A good rule of thumb when writing copy for a case study is to use bite-sized bits of content or break up the content and summarize using bullet points. Using headings and subheadings to break up the text helps guide the reader through the case study.
Introduce Your Customer
Keep the focus of your case study on the customer, not your business. The overall story will highlight your business by describing a customer’s experience with your company rather than overtly stating it. The reader can come to their own conclusion after learning the facts.
Your customer introduction doesn’t need to be long but can include details such as who the customer is and what their goal for this project was. If your customer is comfortable sharing their name, you can, but it isn’t necessary. A simple description such as “a retired couple who enjoys spending time outside with their grandchildren” helps tell the story more than a specific name does.
Before: A Brief Description of the Property Before the Project Began
The beginning of your case study likely features a beautiful photo or video of the completed project to show the result, but the “before” section of your case study will show the property prior to beginning the project. These massive transformations are marketing gold and show prospects the immense potential of giving their own front or backyard a makeover.
Identify the customer’s pain points that led them to seek your services. For this example, the homeowners enjoy hosting social gatherings outdoors, but their backyard is steep with minimal flat areas of land. Use these factors to tell a story and share how they could only invite one couple over at a time because of their small patio space, even though they have a group of four couples who regularly spend time together. They felt bad not being able to extend an invite to everyone. Explain the customers’ fears that there was no hope for being able to host the bigger groups of friends.
Your copy can help the reader relate to the customer on an emotional level. With each customer having a unique story to tell, you’ll have vast potential for creating engaging content that speaks to various pain points. Some customers may suffer from arthritis, and the hot tub you installed helps alleviate their pain or helps them remain mobile and young at heart. Others may want a peaceful retreat where they go to de-stress after a long day at work. Whatever their story, it will connect with other customers in your target audience if it’s engaging and well-written.
-
WHY THE CUSTOMER CHOSE YOUR COMPANY FOR THEIR PROJECT
Sharing why the customer decided on your company for their project can be impactful. Were they impressed with your crew, your creative design, and your high-quality workmanship? What was it that motivated them to choose your company over your competitor? This is a great place to quote the customer to put it in their own words, which makes a powerful statement and helps show what makes your company unique and the best choice.
During: Share Details of the Design & Construction Process
For this section of your case study, give the prospect an inside look at your design and build process. Detail the process of how you came up with the design concept, what the customer’s vision was, and how you elevated it.
This is the place where you can share any challenges you faced throughout the construction process. For example, if you needed to work around a large tree that the customer wanted to keep, what challenges did you face, and how did you make it work? Was bringing in the material challenging when working in a backyard surrounded by a forest? Share these details to provide insight into the solutions that your company offers.
In this industry, you know that very few projects have zero challenges, so be honest about them and talk about how you worked through the challenges and found solutions. Even these seemingly negative aspects can be turned into a positive when you reach a solution, and these stories help build trust with the reader.
Continuing the previous examples, for the property with the sloped backyard, you could share how you excavated the property to create a terraced backyard using retaining walls, resulting in an expansive outdoor living area that’s perfect for hosting large gatherings. Describe how the outdoor space now includes a fully-equipped outdoor kitchen, a living area with an outdoor fireplace, and a plunge pool.
For the customer with arthritis, you could share how you created an outdoor space that was easily accessible. For the customers seeking a relaxing environment, you could share about the plantings you curated and installed to provide natural privacy and the bubbling water feature that adds the rejuvenating sounds of moving water, creating a spa-like atmosphere.
Include details about the materials you used and the brands you chose, and acknowledge any work you contracted out to others. Some firms Include a list of the products and materials in a bullet-point format, which makes it easy for customers to skim over or focus on, depending on the information they need to make a decision. Many top firms feature manufacturer logos to highlight the products they used. You could even share the case studies with these companies to potentially get even more visibility to your work.
After: The Completed Project and How the Customer Uses the Outdoor Space
In this section, you can show how the customer uses the completed outdoor project today. To continue with our previous examples, share how the homeowners with the sloped backyard now host pool parties, gather around a fire pit to roast marshmallows, and enjoy outdoor movie nights. Describe how much the arthritic customer enjoys spending time in their easy-to-access jetted hot tub. Use words to paint a picture of how customers enjoy the de-stressing benefits of spending time outside, surrounded by nature’s beauty. Be specific and help the reader envision themselves in a similar environment.
The Easy-to-Read Case Study Summary
Some top companies feature a brief case study summary at the beginning of their case study, and others feature it at the end. Either way, this section will provide all of the important information for those who prefer not to read all of the details.
This summary could appear as a bullet-point list of takeaways from the project. You could include the size and scope of the project, a price range, the length of the project, and the outdoor living features that you built. Include the most important information so that it is easy to find and read.
Customer Testimonials
97% of consumers are influenced by reviews during their buying decisions, demonstrating how impactful a well-chosen customer testimonial can be. The customer testimonial section is integral to creating social proof. The truth is prospects don’t fully trust salespeople because they know their ultimate goal is to sell. However, a previous customer is speaking from experience and is therefore seen as more trustworthy.
The customer's words can be shown as text quotes throughout the case study, video testimonials, or a combination of both. You can pull quotes from the customer interview and make graphics with the quote, helping break up the text within your case study so that it’s more visually appealing and easier to read.
End With a Call-To-Action (CTA)
At the end of your case study, make sure to tell the reader what to do next with a CTA. Generally, your CTA will lead the reader to contact you. This might be in the form of a “Contact Us” button, a contact form, or a phone number. Other CTAs include a link to learn more about the specific features of the project, such as a link to your landscape design page or poolscapes page. Another option is to link to your About Us page, which allows the reader to learn more about who you are and see more of the types of projects you take on.
A Note About Employer Case Studies
While this article is primarily about project case studies, creating a case study about your company as an employer can be a powerful recruiting tool. The same concepts apply, with the exception of following a project from start to completion. Instead, you can use an employer case study to share the stories of your employees.
HALSTEAD created an employer video case study for Great Outdoors, which featured everyone from crew members to leaders of the company. Seeing the faces and hearing the voices of real employees are impactful, especially when they share an incredible story of how they worked their way up in the company. It’s another example of showing immense possibilities.
How to Use Case Studies to Generate, Qualify & Convert Leads
Case study content can be repurposed and reused in various applications throughout each phase of the customer journey, proving to be a valuable tool.
Featuring Case Studies on Your Website
No matter where you choose to share and feature your case studies, housing the complete study on your website is a great place to start. This form allows for mixed media, including written copy, photos, videos, and infographics, resulting in a robust resource that’s easily accessible.
You can share unique links to each case study, allowing your sales team to curate the perfect case study to share with a prospect based on their specific project type and preferred style. For example, a sales rep working with a homeowner interested in a resort-style poolscape could share a specific poolscape case study. A property manager needing lawn care and landscape maintenance services would benefit from a commercial property case study. Your website can serve as a hub to house them all.
-
THE POWER OF SEARCH-ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
The keywords used throughout the case study can help drive traffic to your website, especially when combined with ad spend. The more useful content that you feature on your website, the more likely that you will attract your target audience. Case studies are a component of your content marketing strategy.
Publishing Video Case Studies on YouTube
Video case studies are especially powerful because they allow prospects to see the project and hear directly from the customer. They help build brand awareness while establishing credibility and evoking an emotional response, which is influential in converting prospects into customers. YouTube videos can be shared on your socials, website, and directly in an email or text to a prospect.
91% of consumers want to see more online video content from brands, and the demand for video continues to increase as the visual format is highly preferred. With 92% of video marketers reporting that they have gotten a good ROI from video marketing, it’s a worthwhile investment and something that you can use as content repeatedly.
Using Case Studies as Social Media Content
While case studies aren’t created on social media, they make great content for sharing on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or any other social media channel. However, simply posting a link to your case study isn’t enough to compel your audience to click on the link and dive deeper.
Include a brief summary of your case study in your social post. The first sentence should inspire the reader to want to learn more, including something catchy or intriguing. Next, briefly describe a challenge you faced or the customer’s goal, how you solved it or achieved their goal, the results, and a call to action.
Here’s an example:
“Since working with HALSTEAD, BTS Landscaping has literally doubled its business. They struggled to create an online presence, but with our professional videography and expert SEO services, we transformed their digital strategy. Discover the system that boosted their digital efforts by clicking the link below.”
As with any social media content, you can test copy, videos, and photos to see what works best for your audience. Viewing the analytics will direct your efforts.
Pitching Case Studies to Local Media
If your landscape design company transformed a community college landscape with an eco-friendly design and native plantings, local media might be interested in making a news story out of the project. Share your link and pitch the idea to them.
Local media will generally share stories with significance to the community, and some feature small businesses on a regular basis. This is a great way to get publicity for your business and create brand awareness in your service areas.
Sharing Case Studies With Industry Media
Many leading lawn, landscape, and outdoor living businesses create relationships with industry media, such as the National Association of Landscape Professionals or Lawn & Landscape. Some groups, such as the American Society of Landscape Architects, feature case studies and offer the opportunity to win awards for your work.
Having your case studies featured in industry media or a professional organization’s online content helps establish credibility for your business. You can then share the link to your case study they’ve posted on their website, helping build trust with your audience and create brand awareness.
Showcasing Case Studies in Your Company Newsletters
If you send an email newsletter to customers or prospects, you can link to your case studies to showcase your work. You could also turn an e-newsletter into a short case study and send it to a segmented audience. For example, if prospects have shown interest in outdoor kitchens, you could create a case study featuring an outdoor kitchen project and send it to this targeted audience.
E-newsletters are a low-cost method to reach prospects and will provide analytics, showing who clicked to read more and how long the prospect spent reading your email. This information can help drive your retargeting efforts to guide the customer through the sales funnel. E-newsletters are a good way to keep in touch with customers and prospects, and including case studies within them will help keep your business top of mind as they view your high-quality work and dream of having beautiful outdoor spaces or well-maintained landscapes of their own.
Implementing Case studies Into Your Sales Presentations
It’s impossible for your prospects to see all your completed outdoor projects in person, but imagine a future where VR (virtual reality) is a readily accessible technology for everyone and the experience you could create for prospects. They could virtually walk through an outdoor space, see the breeze rustle the leaves, and hear the water fountain bubbling—it will likely become an experience that’s used for marketing in the near future. As of 2023, only 15% of the United State’s population are VR users, making this method something to look forward to as this number continues to grow.
The next best thing to seeing a beautiful outdoor space in person or via VR is seeing a professionally-produced video or photos within a case study. Your sales team can put the case studies to good work by allowing prospects to browse and read the stories of other customers. A well-told project story will help your prospect relate.
Since a case study covers the before, during, and after, the prospect can connect with the before and imagine the future with a beautiful outdoor living space of their own. When you have an arsenal of case studies, you’ll have one that will connect with each customer. Use the case study to create a conversation to learn more about what they want out of their outdoor living space and the kinds of experiences they look forward to enjoying.
